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Speed Management

Speed management focuses on how to set and enforce speed limits. It is a complex issue that involves both engineering and behavioral factors. Ultimately, motorists decide on a speed to travel in a given circumstance. As a result, a significant aspect of speed management research is to investigate how motorists arrive at that decision.


Current work includes development, evaluation, and deployment of Dynamic Speed Feedback Signs (DSFS). A DSFS system consists of a speed-measuring device—such as a loop-detector or radar—and a message sign that displays feedback to those drivers who exceed a predetermined speed threshold. In a national field evaluation of these systems on horizontal curves on rural two-lane roadways, vehicle speeds and associated crashes were reduced.

Updated: Monday, December 2, 2019